Flexible CIGS Solar Panels Get Slightly More Efficient

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), part of the U.S. Department of Energy, have developed thin-film solar cells capable of 19.9-percent efficiency, a new world record for flexible cells and approaching the 20.3-percent efficiency of silicon-based rigid cells. The copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) cells, the same sort of technology used by new solar companies like Nanosolar, will only reach this high rate of efficiency in the lab using expensive production processes. Commercial CIGS cells will be in the "12-15% range," according to Nanosolar. Every little bit helps over the lifetime of a panel, especially since the "printable" CIGS cells can provide costs as low as a buck a watt.
NREL Sets Thin Film Record [Renewable Energy World via Treehugger]